Service scheduling system

ABSTRACT

A service scheduling system ( 1 ) is configured to retrieve schedule information from a time-management system ( 2 ) of a service provider, whereat the schedule information assigns service intervals offered by the service provider to a plurality of clients. The service scheduling system ( 1 ) comprises a detector ( 13 ) configured to detect an event indicating that a client cannot be served in a first service interval assigned to said client according to the schedule information. The service scheduling system ( 1 ) further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit, to a communication terminal ( 3 ′) of a further client, information specifying a second service interval which is at least partly overlapping the first service interval, and a receiver configured to receive, from the communication terminal ( 3 ′) of the further client, acknowledgment information indicating that the further client agrees to get served in the second service interval.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a service scheduling system and acorresponding method. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to asystem and method for scheduling services offered by a service providerto a plurality of clients.

Description of Related Art

Presently appointment scheduling at a service provider such as e.g. adentist, a doctor, a hairdresser or the municipality is a relativelystatic process. Typically, an employee of the service provider checks adigital or paper calendar for suitable, free time slots and makes anappointment suggestion to the client who himself checks whether thesuggested date and time suits his personal schedule.

Once a match is found, both parties agree on the appointment time andusually it is the client's responsibility to make sure he blocks theappointment time in his personal schedule, e.g. by adding a respectivenote to his calendar. All the service provider can do to assure theclient actually takes a note of the appointment is handing out a smallpaper card etc. on which the appointment is noted. In most cases, theprocess ends here and the service provider must rely on the client toactually show up at the agreed appointment time.

In some cases, in which a non-appearance or an off-time appearance ofthe client would lead to significant disturbance of operations andresult in considerable financial loss, service providers contact theirclients shortly ahead of the appointment to make sure they show up.Although this is a considerable administrative effort it is for instancebeing done by orthodontists and dentists in order to assure a steadyutilization of their resources.

In the case of doctors, dentists or orthodontists, but also otherservice providers, a non-appearance can result in significant economicloss as they often have to dedicate a considerable amount of (human)resources and time to a single treatment of a single client. In the caseof orthodontists, for instance, the issue is particularly seriousbecause they usually deal with young adults and children who tend to beless reliable in keeping appointments than adults.

From a client perspective, waiting is an annoying routine. In mostcases, in which a client arrives perfectly on the time that was agreedupon, he has to wait. The main reasons for this condition are that it isoften difficult to precisely plan a treatment and that service providersusually do not take into account unforeseen events or factors that mightdelay the service. Service providers want to assure continuousoperations and a steady “supply” of clients over the day. In order toassure this uninterrupted service, service providers accept a certainwaiting time for their clients who then waste valuable life and worktime as usually the waiting time cannot be bridged with productiveactivities.

SUMMARY

The above problems are solved by a system, a method and a computerprogram according to the independent claims.

Further details of the invention will become apparent from theconsideration of the drawings and the ensuing description.

A service scheduling system is configured to retrieve scheduleinformation from a time-management system of a service provider, theschedule information assigning service intervals offered by the serviceprovider to a plurality of clients. The service scheduling systemcomprises a detector configured to detect an event indicating that aclient cannot be served in a first service interval assigned to saidclient according to the schedule information. The service schedulingsystem further comprises a transmitter configured to transmit, to acommunication terminal of a further client, information specifying asecond service interval which is at least partly overlapping the firstservice interval. Moreover, the service scheduling system comprises areceiver configured to receive, from the communication terminal of thefurther client, acknowledgment information indicating that the furtherclient agrees to get served in the second service interval.

Furthermore, a service scheduling method comprises retrieving, from atime-management system of a service provider, schedule informationassigning service intervals offered by the service provider to aplurality of clients, detecting an event indicating that a client cannotbe served in a first service interval assigned to said client accordingto the schedule information, transmitting, to a communication terminalof a further client, information specifying a second service intervalwhich is at least partly overlapping the first service interval, andreceiving, from the communication terminal of the further client,acknowledgment information indicating that the further client agrees toget served in the second service interval. Moreover, a computer programis claimed, wherein the computer program controls one or more processorsof a service scheduling system such that the service scheduling systemperforms the above-mentioned steps.

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of generalintroduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Theelements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to eachother.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendantadvantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary application scenario of a servicescheduling system,

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary sequence of stepscarried out by the service scheduling system,

FIG. 3 shows two exemplary sequences of service intervals with partlyoverlapping service intervals,

FIG. 4 shows another flow diagram illustrating another exemplarysequence of steps carried out by the service scheduling system, and

FIG. 5 shows a further flow diagram illustrating a further exemplarysequence of steps carried out by the service scheduling system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1illustrates an embodiment of a service scheduling system 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the service scheduling system 1 forms aninterface between a time-management system 2 of a service provider and acommunication terminal 3 of a client and his time management system 4.The service scheduling system 1 comprises a service providercommunication interface 11 for communicating with the time-managementsystem 2 of the service provider via a first communication network 21 orvia a direct communication link. The service scheduling system 1 furthercomprises a client communication interface 12 for communicating with thecommunication terminal 3 of the client via a second communicationnetwork 31 or via a direct communication link.

The service provider is a person or organization which offers a serviceduring a time period to one or more clients. The service provider may bee.g. a dentist, a doctor, or a hairdresser. In general, a serviceprovider may offer an arbitrary service during the time period, whichwill be denoted service interval in the following.

The time-management system 2 of the service provider stores and managesschedule information. The schedule information assigns service intervalsto a plurality of clients, wherein in each service interval a specificservice is offered by the service provider to a specific client. Inother words, the schedule information comprises both information relatedto a client and information related to a service interval. Theinformation related to the client may include e.g. the client's name,address, e-mail address, telephone number, etc. On the other hand, theinformation related to the service interval may comprise e.g. a starttime and/or an end time of the service interval, a description of theparticular service offered during the service interval, and resources ofthe service provider required for providing the service. Said resourcesmay include e.g. treatment rooms, consulting rooms, staff, machines,material and preparation time of the service provider.

The time-management system 2 of the service provider may comprise acalendaring software for storing and managing the schedule information.The calendaring software may be any kind of digital calendar which ise.g. integrated in an e-mail software, Personal Information Manager(PIM), operating system or any kind of branch-specific softwaresolution. Examples for calendaring software include but are not limitedto: Microsoft® Outlook®, Apple® iCal®, Lightning® for Mozilla®Thunderbird®, Mozilla® Sunbird® or other calendaring software using theiCalendar format.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the time-management system 2 may comprisecalendaring software which is installed or implemented on a computersystem of the service provider. In this case of “offline” calendaringsoftware, the schedule information is stored e.g. on the computer systemof the service provider or on another storage device within a local areanetwork (LAN) of the service provider. Moreover, the time-managementsystem 2 may also comprise “online” calendaring software embodied astime-management web applications such as e.g. Google® Calendar, NowUp-to-Date & Contact® by Now Software® or other time-management webapplications included e.g. in social networks. In case of such webapplications, the schedule information may be stored e.g. on a networkserver 24 and the time-management system 2 of the service provider, i.e.the application running on the computer system of the service providermay access the schedule information by accessing the network server 24.The time-management system 2 of the service provider may be connectedwith the network server 24 via the first communication network 21 or viaanother network.

The time-management system 4 of the client may as well comprise softwarewhich is installed or implemented on a computer system of the client orthe communication terminal 3. In case of “offline” calendaring software,schedule information is stored e.g. on the computer system of the clientor on another storage device within a local area network (LAN) of theclient. Moreover, the time-management system 4 may also comprise“online” calendaring software embodied as time-management webapplications such as e.g. Google® Calendar, Now Up-to-Date & Contact® byNow Software® or other time-management web applications included e.g. insocial networks. In case of such web applications, the scheduleinformation may be stored e.g. on a network server and thetime-management system 4 of the client, e.g. the application running onthe communication terminal 3 of the client may access the scheduleinformation by accessing the network server. The time-management system4 of the client may be connected with the network server via the firstcommunication network 21 or via another network.

The first communication network 21 may be a fixed line communicationnetwork, a mobile communication network or a combination of both.Specifically, the first communication network 21 may be the Internet.

As already mentioned, the service scheduling system 1 includes a serviceprovider communication interface 11 for enabling data exchange with thetime-management system 2 via the first communication network 21 or via adirect communication link. A direct communication link may be appliede.g. in case the service scheduling system 1 is located within thepremises 23 of the service provider. The direct communication link maycomprise e.g. a simple cable for connecting the service schedulingsystem 1 with the computer system or network of the service provider.

Alternatively, the service scheduling system 1 may be connected with thetime-management system 2 via the first communication network 21. In thiscase, the service provider communication interface 11 is, dependent onthe type of the first communication network 21, configured to transmitdata to and/or to receive data from the time-management system 2.

The data exchanged between the service management system 1 and thetime-management system 2 includes e.g. the schedule information.Optionally, the service provider communication interface 11 isconfigured to synchronize schedule information stored in a data storageof the service scheduling system 1 with the schedule information storedin the time-management system 2.

Access to the time-management system 2 of the service provider may besecured e.g. by means of login information and a password. To this end,the service provider communication interface 11 may be configured tocarry out an access procedure before exchanging data with thetime-management system 2.

The service management system 1 comprises a processing system which isconnected to both the service provider communication interface 11 andthe client communication interface 12. The processing system inaccordance with this disclosure can be implemented using amicroprocessor or its equivalent, such as a central processing unit(CPU) or at least one application specific processor (ASP). Themicroprocessor utilizes a computer readable storage medium, such as amemory (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, static memory, DRAM,SDRAM, or their equivalents), configured to control the microprocessorto perform and/or control the processes of this disclosure. Otherstorage mediums can be controlled via a controller, which can control ahard disc drive or an optical disk drive.

The microprocessor or aspects thereof, in an alternate embodiment, caninclude or exclusively include a logic device for augmenting or fullyimplementing this disclosure. Such a logic device includes, but is notlimited to, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA), a generic-array of logic (GAL), andtheir equivalents. The microprocessor can be a separate device or asingle processing mechanism. Further, this disclosure can benefit fromparallel processing capabilities of a multi-cored CPU.

The communication terminal 3 of the client may be e.g. a smart phone, acell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an internet connectedcomputer, or a wireless pager.

The second communication network 31 may be a fixed line communicationnetwork, a mobile communication network, or a combination of both. Thesecond communication network 31 may or may not be the same network asthe first communication network 21. In particular, the secondcommunication network 31 may be the Internet or a mobile communicationnetwork compliant to standards such as GSM (Global System for MobileCommunication), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System), LongTerm Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced.

For enabling data exchange with the communication terminal 3 of theclient via the second communication network 31, the service schedulingsystem 1 includes the client communication interface 12 which isconfigured to transmit data to and/or to receive data from thecommunication terminal 3. Dependent on the type of the secondcommunication network 31, the client communication interface 12comprises respective communication modules. For example, in case thecommunication terminal 3 of the client is capable of communicating via amobile communication network 31, the client communication interface 12comprises a communication module suitable for the respective mobilecommunication standard.

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary sequence of stepscarried out by the service scheduling system 1. The service schedulingsystem 1 may be configured to retrieve schedule information from thetime-management system 2 of the service provider (step S21), theschedule information assigning service intervals offered by the serviceprovider to a plurality of clients. The service scheduling system 1 maycomprise a detector 13 configured to detect an event indicating that aclient cannot be served in a first service interval assigned to saidclient according to the schedule information (step S22). The servicescheduling system 1 may comprise a transmitter configured to transmit,to a communication terminal 3′ of a further client, informationspecifying a second service interval which is at least partlyoverlapping the first service interval (step S24). Moreover, the servicescheduling system 1 may comprise a receiver configured to receive, fromthe communication terminal 3′ of the further client, acknowledgmentinformation indicating that the further client agrees to get served inthe second service interval.

Both the transmitter and the receiver may be included in the servicescheduling system's 1 client communication interface 12. In thefollowing, to simplify the discussion, the further client will be simplydenoted as the replacement client. The communication terminal 3 of thereplacement client is referenced as communication terminal 3′.

In optional step S20, the service scheduling system 1 may transmit arequest for schedule information to the time-management system 2 of theservice provider. In this so-called pull-mode, in step S21, the scheduleinformation is transmitted by the time-management system 2 upon requestof the service scheduling system 1.

Alternatively, in the so-called push-mode, the service scheduling system1 receives schedule information pro-actively transmitted by thetime-management system 2, i.e. the optional step S20 may be omitted. Inany case, however, the service scheduling system 1 is configured toretrieve schedule information from the time-management system 2.

In step S21, the schedule information stored at the time-managementsystem 2 is not necessarily completely received by the servicescheduling system 1. In other words, in step S21, only singleinformation elements of the schedule information like e.g. newinformation elements or information elements which have changed recentlymay be transmitted by the time-management system 2. In general, thesteps S20 and S21 represent a synchronization process for synchronizingschedule information stored at the service scheduling system 1 withschedule information stored at the time-management system 2. Therefore,a person skilled in the art understands that updated scheduleinformation may be retrieved by the service scheduling system 1 in adifferent way as described with regard to steps S20 and S21.

In step S22, the detector 13 is configured to detect that it is notpossible that the client receives the service during the first serviceinterval, although said client has previously agreed with the serviceprovider to get served during said first service interval and thisagreement is reflected in the schedule information such that the firstservice interval is assigned to said client. In other words, thedetector 13 is configured to monitor events related to those clients towhom a service interval has been assigned according to the scheduleinformation. The detector 13 may be embodied as a software modulerunning on the processing system of the service scheduling system 1 oras a dedicated hardware/software unit.

The detector may be configured to detect an event indicating thephysical absence of the client or of the communication terminal 3 of theclient at the premises 23 of the service provider. This event may begenerated e.g. by a client sensor 22 which is located at the premises 23of the service provider and configured to collect real-time informationindicating the physical presence and/or absence of a client at thepremises 23 of the service provider. The client sensor 22 may becomprised in the service scheduling system 1 or may be an externaldevice. In any way, the client sensor 22 is configured to communicatewith the service scheduling system 1, in particular with the detector 13of the service scheduling system 1, via a communication network or via adirect (wired or wireless) communication link. As illustrated in FIG. 1,a client sensor 22 at the premises 23 of the service provider may beconnected with the service scheduling system 1 via the firstcommunication network 21.

The detector 13 may detect that the client does not show up within apredetermined time limit after the intended start time of the firstservice interval. To this end, e.g. video cameras, weight sensors,contact sensors, or other kinds of sensors may be used as client sensors22. For example, in case the service provider is a dentist, the clientsensor 23 for detecting the physical presence of the client may beintegrated e.g. in a dentist chair.

Alternatively or additionally, the client sensor 22 may comprise awireless receiver for receiving an electromagnetic signal emitted by thecommunication terminal 3 of the client. The wireless receiver may bee.g. located at the reception desk of a doctor's office and may beconfigured to receive a near field communication (NFC) signal emitted bythe communication terminal 3 of a client. Moreover, the wirelessreceiver may be configured to receive other kinds of wireless signals,like e.g. radio frequency identification (RFID) signals, or signalsbased on an IEEE 802 standard such as ZigBee, Bluetooth or WLAN. In anyway, the detector 13 detects an event indicating the physical absence ofthe communication terminal 3 of the client provided that no wirelesssignal is detected by the wireless receiver of the client sensor 22.

The detector 13 may be configured to detect an event that the servicescheduling system 1 receives a cancellation message. The servicecancellation message may be e.g. transmitted by the client via thecommunication terminal 3 and may be received by the client communicationinterface 12 of the service scheduling system 1. The cancellationmessage may be e.g. an e-mail or a short text message (SMS) with apredetermined content or another predetermined electronic message whichis transmitted via the second communication network 31. The client mayinitiate transmission of the service cancellation message to indicatethat he plans not to attend the upcoming service during said firstservice interval.

On the other hand, the cancellation message may be transmitted by theservice provider via the time-management system 2 and may be received bythe service provider communication interface 11 of the servicescheduling system 1. The service provider 3 or staff of the serviceprovider 3 may initiate transmission of the service cancellation messageafter a telephone or personal communication with the client, or afterhaving received an e-mail or a short message of the client, wherein theclient has indicated that he plans not to attend the upcoming serviceduring said first service interval. The service provider 3 or staff ofthe service provider 3 may also initiate transmission of the servicecancellation message in case the service provider is unable to offer aspecific service to the client in the first service interval, e.g.because a certain resource required for the service is unavailableduring the first service interval.

Furthermore, the detector 13 may be configured to detect the event thatthe service scheduling system 1 does not receive, within a predeterminedtime limit, a service acknowledgement message from the client inresponse to a service confirmation request message transmitted from theservice scheduling system 1 to the client. In other words, still in stepS22, the service scheduling system 1 may transmit, e.g. to thecommunication terminal 3 of the client, the service confirmation requestmessage requesting the client to confirm that he indeed plans to attendthe service during the first service interval. Particularly, such aservice confirmation request message may be transmitted if the detector13 has already detected, at the beginning of the first service interval,the absence of the client or the absence of the communication terminal 3of the client at the premises 23 of the service provider. If the serviceacknowledgement message is received within the predetermined time limit,the service scheduling system deduces that the client is just delayedbut still plans to attend the service in the remaining time of the firstservice interval.

FIG. 2 shows a situation in which the detector 13 has detected, in stepS22, an event indicating that a client cannot be served in the firstservice interval assigned to said client according to the scheduleinformation. After the detector 13 has detected this event, the servicescheduling system 1 may modify the schedule information stored at theservice scheduling system 1 accordingly and transmit the scheduleinformation or single information elements of the schedule informationto the time-management system 2.

Next, in optional step S23, the service scheduling system 1 maydetermine a subgroup of communication terminals 3′ of those clients towhich information specifying the second service interval which is atleast partly overlapping the first service interval shall betransmitted.

In step S24, the transmitter may transmit, to a communication terminal3′ of a potential replacement client, information specifying the secondservice interval which is at least partly overlapping the first serviceinterval. The information for specifying the second service interval isinformation which is relevant to the potential replacement client fordeciding whether to accept the offered service in the second serviceinterval and will be denoted as service offer in the following. Thisservice offer may include e.g. the start time and/or the end time of thesecond service interval, a description of the service offered, the costof the service etc. Optionally, the service offer may include some sortof incentive like e.g. a rebate or a bonus for motivating the client toaccept the service offer.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a second service interval 195 which ispartly overlapping a first service interval 193 on the time axis, thetime axis being denoted as t. In this example, the client to which thefirst service interval 193 was assigned does not show up. Thisnon-appearance is detected by the detector 13. In step S24, informationfor specifying the second service interval 195 may be transmitted to thecommunication terminal 3′ of a possible replacement client. As displayedin FIG. 3, both the start time and the end time of the second serviceinterval may be shifted compared to the first service interval toefficiently utilize the remaining time until the start of a laterservice interval 194.

In a simple embodiment of the present invention, the service schedulingsystem 1 may not comprise any software or hardware modules which arelocated at the communication terminals 3, 3′ of the clients. In such asimple embodiment, the client may respond to a service offer transmittedin step S24 by transmitting, in step S25, a pre-determined electronicmessage to the service scheduling system 1, indicating that the clientaccepts or rejects the service offer during the second service interval.Such a pre-determined electronic message may be e.g. an e-mail or ashort text message (SMS) with a predetermined content such as theletters “yes” or “no”. Moreover, pre-determined electronic messageswhich indicate an acceptance and/or rejection of the client may bedescribed in the service offer transmitted in step S24.

In a more sophisticated embodiment of the present invention, the servicescheduling system 1 may comprise a software application running on acommunication terminal 3, 3′ of a client, wherein the softwareapplication is configured to instruct the communication terminal 3, 3′to receive information specifying a service interval, to display theinformation specifying the service interval via a user interface of thecommunication terminal 3′, and to receive, from the client, via the userinterface, acknowledgment information indicating that the client agreesto get served by the service provider in the service interval.

The user interface may be implemented using the capabilities of e.g. atouchscreen display of a smartphone or a mobile computer. Further, thesoftware application may instruct the communication terminal 3, 3′ toforward information, which is based on the acknowledgement informationreceived via the user interface, to the client interface 12 of theservice scheduling system 1.

As already mentioned, in optional step S23, the service schedulingsystem 1 may determine a subgroup of communication terminals 3′ of theclients to which the service offer, i.e. the information specifying thesecond service interval which is at least partly overlapping the firstservice interval, is transmitted in step S24. Obviously, in astraightforward embodiment, the service scheduling system 1 may simplytransmit the service offer to the communication terminal 3′ of allclients of the service provider. Alternatively, the service offer may betransmitted to only those clients who are assigned an upcoming serviceinterval according to the schedule information, or to those clients whohave recently received a particular service. Generally, the clients towhich the service offer is transmitted in step S24 may be filtered by anarbitrary criterion.

The service scheduling system 1 may be further configured to receive,from the communication terminal 3′ of the client, location informationindicating a current location of the further client, and to decide,based on the location information, whether the information specifyingthe second service interval is transmitted to the communication terminal3′ of the client. The location information may comprise e.g. globalpositioning system (GPS) data generated at the communication terminal3′. This way, the service scheduling system 1 may estimate the requiredtravelling time of the client from his current location to the premises23 of the service provider. Further, it becomes possible that theservice scheduling system 1 identifies those clients for whom it ispossible to arrive at the premises 23 of the service provider and toreceive the service during the second service interval e.g. before theservice of a subsequent customer is due (compare service interval 194 inFIG. 3).

Optionally, the service scheduling system 1 may determine the currentposition of a client based on his home address and/or work address. Tothis end, the service scheduling system 1 may retrieve the home addressand/or work address of the clients from the time-management system 2.

The service scheduling system 1 may be further configured to receive,from the communication terminal 3′ of the further client, clientschedule information indicating the timely availability of the furtherclient, and to decide, based on the client schedule information, whetherthe information specifying the second service interval is transmitted tothe communication terminal 3′ of the further client.

The client schedule information may be structured similarly as theschedule information of the service provider, i.e. the client scheduleinformation may associate time intervals with activities/appointments ofthe client. In particular, a time-management system including acalendaring software may be installed on the communication terminal 3′of the client and this time-management system may manage the clientschedule information. The time-management system may or may not be thesame as the time-management system 2 of the service provider.

However, even if the service scheduling system 1 determines based on theclient schedule information that a possible replacement client is notavailable during the second service interval, the service schedulingsystem 1 may nevertheless transmit the service offer to the client forenabling the client to accept the service offer, to change his personalschedule, and to modify the client schedule information respectively.

In step S24, service offers may be transmitted to the communicationterminals 3′ of the sub-group of clients determined in step S23. Theservice offers may be transmitted sequentially or all at the same time.In case all service offers are transmitted simultaneously, afterreceiving the first acknowledgement information from one clientindicating that this client accepts the service offer, the servicescheduling system 1 may transmit information to the other communicationterminals 3′ to revoke the service offers.

After the service scheduling system 1 has received the acknowledgmentinformation from the communication terminal 3′ of a client, the servicescheduling system 1 may modify the stored schedule information such thatthe second service interval is assigned to this client. Scheduleinformation which is modified accordingly may be transmitted to thetime-management system 2 in step S26. That is, the service schedulingsystem 1 may be configured to transmit updated schedule information tothe time-management system 2 of the service provider, the updatedschedule information assigning the second service interval to thefurther client. In addition, the service scheduling system 1 maytransmit a message to the client who was previously assigned to thefirst service interval, wherein the message indicates that hisassignment to the first service interval was cancelled.

Generally, the exemplary process illustrated in FIG. 2 can be consideredas an automatic non-appearance replacement process, i.e. a processcarried out by the service scheduling system 1 for automatically findinga further client for replacing a client who does not appear at thepremises 23 of the service provider. In general, this non-appearanceprocess may be triggered depending on the specific requirements of theservice provider. For instance, it may be individually defined for eachkind of service e.g. dependent on the length of the service intervaland/or dependent of the required resources of the service providerwhether the service scheduling system 1 shall automatically initiate thenon-appearance process.

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary sequence ofsteps carried out by the service scheduling system 1. In FIG. 4, it isassumed that a client with a communication terminal 3 wants to arrange anew appointment for a service interval with the service provider. Inthis exemplary process, the service scheduling system 1 is used torealize a service arrangement process between the service provider andthe client by providing an efficient message exchange between bothparties.

Specifically, the service scheduling system 1 may be configured toreceive, from the communication terminal 3 of the client, clientschedule information indicating the timely availability of the client 3(step S43), to determine a matching service interval which is inaccordance with both the schedule information retrieved from thetime-management system 2 of the service provider and the client scheduleinformation (step S45), to transmit information specifying the matchingservice interval to the communication terminal 3 of the client (stepS48), and to receive, from the communication terminal 3 of the client,acknowledgment information indicating that the client agrees to getserved in the matching service interval (step S49).

The process illustrated in FIG. 4 may be carried out while the clientresides at the premises 23 of the service provider e.g. when the clienthas just finished a service interval and wants to arrange a newappointment for another service interval. The process may be initiatedby the service provider or staff of the service provider by manuallyentering constraints for finding a matching service interval into thetime-management system 2. These constraints may include e.g. the lengthof the service interval, resources required by the service provider,and/or a time limit until which the service interval should be scheduledat the latest.

Some of the above constraints may also be determined automatically bythe service scheduling system 1. For example, the service schedulingsystem 1 may be configured to determine the length of the serviceinterval based on statistical information stored in the servicescheduling system 1 or retrieved from an external computer system of theservice provider. Optionally, the service scheduling system 1 mayretrieve the statistical information from the time-management system 2of the service provider.

In step S40, the service scheduling system 1 may retrieve theconstraints for finding a matching service interval from thetime-management system 2 of the service provider.

In step S41, the service scheduling system 1 may transmit a request forclient schedule information to the communication terminal 3, and in stepS43, the service scheduling system 1 may retrieve the client scheduleinformation. The client schedule information may be managed by atime-management system running on the communication terminal 3, likee.g. a personal information manager (PIM) or any other type ofapplication software that functions as a personal organizer. As alreadydiscussed with regard to steps S20 and S21 in FIG. 2, a differentprocedure for synchronizing the client schedule information stored atthe service scheduling system 1 may be applied. In a similar way, theservice scheduling system 1 may synchronize the schedule information ofthe service provider in steps S42 and S44.

In step S45, the service scheduling system 1 determines a matchingservice interval, taking into account e.g. the given constraints, theschedule information of the service provider and the client scheduleinformation.

In optional step S46, the service scheduling system 1 may transmitinformation specifying the matching service interval to thetime-management system 2 of the service provider before offering thematching service interval to the client in step S48. If the serviceprovider accepts to make an appointment with the client in the matchingservice interval, the service scheduling system 1 may receiveacknowledgment information indicating the service provider's agreementin step S47.

Next, the service scheduling system 1 may transmit informationspecifying the matching service interval to the communication terminal 3of the client. In step S49, either a positive or a negativeacknowledgement is transmitted from communication terminal 3 to theservice scheduling system 1. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, it isassumed that the client agrees to get served during the service intervalproposed by the service scheduling system 1.

Finally, in steps S50 and S51, updated schedule information whichassigns the matching service interval to the client may be transmittedto the communication terminal 3 and the time-management system 2,respectively.

FIG. 5 shows a further flow diagram illustrating an exemplary sequenceof steps carried out by a service scheduling system 1. In steps S52 andS53, the service scheduling system 1 may retrieve an update of theschedule information stored at the time-management system 2. Steps S52and S53 may correspond e.g. to steps S21 and S22 described in thecontext of FIG. 2.

In step S54, the service scheduling system 1 may retrieve real-timeinformation collected at the premises 23 of the service provider and maydetermine estimated schedule information based on the real-timeinformation. Moreover, the service scheduling system 1 may be configuredto transmit, to a communication terminal 3 of a client, an estimatedstart time of a service interval assigned to the client in step S55.

The real-time information may be collected by e.g. the client sensors 22or other sensor's integrated in the service provider's equipment. Inparticular, as described with regard to FIG. 2, the client sensors 22may comprise e.g. video cameras, weight sensors, contact sensors, or awireless receiver for monitoring the client at the premises 22 of theservice provider. The real-time information includes e.g. informationabout the progress of the service during service intervals which arescheduled before the relevant service interval of the client.

Preferably, steps S52 to S55 are repeated at high frequency. Theestimated start time of a service interval may be displayed at theclient's communication terminal 3, e.g. by the user interface of thesoftware application of the service scheduling system 1. Like this, itbecomes possible to inform the client about a possible delay or timeshift and to minimize waiting times at the service provider.

In addition, the service scheduling system 1 may be configured todetermine the start time of the service interval assigned to the clientbased on information related to the service provider and the employeesof the service provider. For example, the service scheduling system 1may take into account how many employees of the service provider areavailable at a specific day or time or whether an employee is sick.Moreover, the service scheduling system 1 may take into account theavailability of the service provider's equipment, like e.g. a defectdentist chair.

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentdisclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A service scheduling system configured toretrieve schedule information from a time-management system of a serviceprovider, the schedule information assigning service intervals offeredby the service provider to a plurality of clients, the servicescheduling system comprising: a sensor disposed on premises of theservice provider and configured to detect that a client cannot be servedin a first service interval assigned to said client according to theschedule information, the sensor detecting that the client cannot beserved based on real-time information of the premises of the serviceprovider collected by the sensor, the real-time information of thepremises indicating that the client is not present on the premises ofthe service provider, and a processor configured to, in response to thesensor detecting that the client cannot be served based on the real-timeinformation of the premises of the service provider collected by thesensor, receive, from communication terminals of a plurality of furtherclients, GPS location information indicating current locations of thefurther clients, and identify, based on the respective GPS locationinformation and an estimated travel time to the premises of the serviceprovider, a further client having the respective GPS locationinformation and the estimated travel time indicating that the furtherclient can arrive at the premises of the service provider in time to beserved during a second service interval, which is at least partlyoverlapping the first service interval, transmit, to the communicationterminal of the identified further client, information specifying thesecond service interval, and receive, from the communication terminal ofthe identified further client, acknowledgment information indicatingthat the further client agrees to get served in the second serviceinterval, wherein the processor of the service scheduling system isfurther configured to, in response to the sensor detecting that theclient cannot be served based on the real-time information of thepremises of the service provider collected by the sensor, receive, fromthe communication terminal of at least one further client, clientschedule information indicating the timely availability of the at leastone further client, and transmit the information specifying the secondservice interval to the communication terminal of the at least onefurther client based on the client schedule information indicating thetimely availability of the at least one further client.
 2. The servicescheduling system according to claim 1, wherein the processor of theservice scheduling system is configured to transmit updated scheduleinformation to the time-management system of the service provider, theupdated schedule information assigning the second service interval tothe identified further client.
 3. The service scheduling systemaccording to claim 2, wherein the sensor is configured to detect thatthe client cannot be served in the first service interval when theservice scheduling system does not receive, within a predetermined timelimit, a service acknowledgement message from the client in response toa service confirmation request message transmitted from the servicescheduling system to the client, the service confirmation requestmessage being transmitted when the collected real-time informationindicates that the client is not present on the premises of the serviceprovider at a starting time of the first service interval.
 4. Theservice scheduling system according to claim 1, wherein the processor ofthe service scheduling system is configured to, in response to thesensor detecting that the client cannot be served based on the real-timeinformation of the premises of the service provider collected by thesensor, receive, from a communication terminal of a client, clientschedule information indicating the timely availability of the client,determine a matching service interval which is in accordance with boththe schedule information retrieved from the time-management system ofthe service provider and the client schedule information, transmitinformation specifying the matching service interval to thecommunication terminal of the client, and receive, from thecommunication terminal of the client, acknowledgment informationindicating that the client agrees to get served in the matching serviceinterval.
 5. The service scheduling system according to claim 1, whereinthe processor of the service scheduling system is configured to retrievethe real-time information collected at the premises of the serviceprovider, to determine estimated schedule information based on thereal-time information, and to transmit, to a communication terminal of aclient, an estimated start time of a service interval assigned to theclient.
 6. The service scheduling system according to claim 1, whereinthe service scheduling system further comprises a software applicationrunning on a communication terminal of a client, wherein the softwareapplication is configured to instruct the communication terminal toreceive information specifying a service interval, to display theinformation specifying the service interval via a user interface of thecommunication terminal, and to receive, from the client, via the userinterface, acknowledgment information indicating that the client agreesto get served by the service provider in the service interval.
 7. Aservice scheduling method comprising: retrieving, from a time-managementsystem of a service provider, schedule information assigning serviceintervals offered by the service provider to a plurality of clients,detecting that a client cannot be served in a first service intervalassigned to said client according to the schedule information, thedetecting that the client cannot be served is based on real-timeinformation of premises of the service provider collected by a sensor,the real-time information of the premises indicating that the client isnot present on the premises of the service provider, and in response tothe detection that the client cannot be served based on the real-timeinformation of the premises of the service provider collected by thesensor, receiving, from communication terminals of further clients, GPSlocation information indicating current locations of the furtherclients, and identifying, based on the respective GPS locationinformation and an estimated travel time to the premises of the serviceprovider, a further client having the respective GPS locationinformation and the estimated travel time indicating that the furtherclient can arrive at the premises of the service provider in time to beserved during a second service interval, which is at least partlyoverlapping the first service interval, transmitting, to thecommunication terminal of the identified further client, informationspecifying the second service interval, and receiving, from thecommunication terminal of the identified further client, acknowledgmentinformation indicating that the further client agrees to get served inthe second service interval, wherein the method further includes, inresponse to the detection that the client cannot be served based on thereal-time information of the premises of the service provider collectedby the sensor, receiving, from the communication terminal of at leastone further client, client schedule information indicating the timelyavailability of the at least one further client, and transmitting theinformation specifying the second service interval to the communicationterminal of the at least one further client based on the client scheduleinformation indicating the timely availability of the at least onefurther client.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstoring computer-readable instructions thereon, the instructions, whenexecuted by one or more processors of a service scheduling system, causethe service scheduling system to perform a method comprising:retrieving, from a time-management system of a service provider,schedule information assigning service intervals offered by the serviceprovider to a plurality of clients, detecting that a client cannot beserved in a first service interval assigned to said client according tothe schedule information, the detecting that the client cannot be servedis based on real-time information of premises of the service providercollected by a sensor, the real-time information of the premisesindicating that the client is not present on the premises of the serviceprovider, and in response to the detection that the client cannot beserved based on the real-time information of the premises of the serviceprovider collected by the sensor, receiving, from communicationterminals of further clients, GPS location information indicatingcurrent locations of the further clients, and identifying, based on therespective GPS location information and an estimated travel time to thepremises of the service provider, a further client having the respectiveGPS location information and the estimated travel time indicating thatthe further client can arrive at the premises of the service provider intime to be served during a second service interval, which is at leastpartly overlapping the first service interval, transmitting, to thecommunication terminal of the identified further client, informationspecifying the second service interval, and receiving, from thecommunication terminal of the identified further client, acknowledgmentinformation indicating that the further client agrees to get served inthe second service interval, wherein the method further includes, inresponse to the detecting that the client cannot be served based on thereal-time information of the premises of the service provider collectedby the sensor, receiving, from the communication terminal of at leastone further client, client schedule information indicating the timelyavailability of the at least one further client, and transmitting theinformation specifying the second service interval to the communicationterminal of the at least one further client based on the client scheduleinformation indicating the timely availability of the at least onefurther client.